Sonic Boys joint name! ASRock Z790 PG SONIC unboxing test / I have a 16-bit rotating gold ring

ASRock-Z790-PG-SONIC

Many DIY players recall the masterpiece of the 16-bit, 2D scrolling game “Sonic Boy” when they were young. The sense of speed brought by the exciting acceleration sound and the refreshing sound of getting the golden ring will definitely bring players back to the good old days of childhood. . This time, ASRock and SEGA have obtained the authorization of Sonic the Hedgehog and launched the first “ASRock Z790 PG SONIC” gaming motherboard, with Sonic painting, rotating gold ring and other designs, so that players who love Sonic the Hedgehog can have a unique gaming experience motherboard.

Specifications
Dimensions: ATX (30.5cm x 24.4cm)
Processor support: 12th and 13th-generation Intel Core processors
Processor pins: Intel LGA 1700
CPU Power supply phase: 14+1+1 phase 50A Smart Power Stage
chipset: Intel Z790
BIOS: 1 x 128Mb ROM, UEFI AMI
Memory: 4 x DIMM, MAX 128GB, DDR5 6800+(OC)/4800 MHz
Display Output: HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 DSC
Expansion Slot: 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4), 1 x PCIe 3.0 x1, 1 x M.2 Key E Wi-Fi
storage port: 8 x SATA 6Gb/s, Hyper M2_1 (CPU) PCIe 4.0 x4, Blazing M2_5 (CPU) PCIe 5.0 x4 , Hyper M2_2 PCIe 4.0 x4, Hyper M2_3 PCIe 4.0 x4, Hyper M2_4 PCIe 4.0 x4
Network: Killer E3100G 2.5GbE LAN
Audio: Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec 7.1ch, Nahimic Audio
USB Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type C (Front Expansion), 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C, 6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (2 for expansion), 6 x USB 2.0 (4 for expansion)
RGB: 3 x ARGB 4-1pin, 1 x RGB 4pin
FAN: 1 x 4-pin CPU, 1 x 4 -pin CPU/PUMP, 5 x 4-pin Chassis/PUMP

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC Unboxing/Sonic the Hedgehog co-branded

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC has the same specifications as PG Riptide but has the exclusive painting of Sonic the Hedgehog, including VRM, M.2, PCH radiator, and motherboard with Sonic elements on both sides. In addition, Z790 PG SONIC still has a 14-phase 50A SPS power supply, which provides 4 DIMM DDR5 memory, maximum 128GB capacity, and 6800MHz overclocking memory performance.

In terms of expansion, one PCIe 5.0 x16, and PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 3.0 x1 expansion slots are maintained; for storage, Himile provides 8 SATA and 5 M.2 expansions, of which Hyper M2_1 uses the PCIe 4.0 x4 channel of the CPU, The Blazing M2_5 is the PCIe 5.0 x4 channel of the graphics card. Still, the two M.2 slots physically conflict, and only one can be used at the same time.

The rest of M.2 use PCH channels, namely Hyper M2_2 PCIe 4.0 x4, Hyper M2_3 PCIe 4.0 x4, and Hyper M2_4 PCIe 4.0 x4.

The network is Killer E3100G 2.5GbE LAN; the audio is the basic Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec 7.1ch with Nahimic Audio software; the USB provides front USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type C, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1 and 6 ports including USB 2.0.

A memorable Sonic Boy box with a sense of the times.
There are also specifications and features on the back.

Z790 PG SONIC has a silver-white VRM, M.2, and PCH radiator, embellished with Sonic’s signature blue lines, and the blackened motherboard has lightning patterns similar to Sonic’s acceleration. The top of the I/O shell is With a 16-bit rotating golden ring, as long as you look at it from different angles, you will find the rotating effect of the golden ring.

Z790 PG SONIC livery.
Also has Sonic lines on the back.

The 16-bit rotating gold ring on the I/O housing is like a three-dimensional graphics card when I was a child. When the light passes through different angles through the grating plastic sheet, it can present the game gold ring at different angles.

16-bit rotating gold ring on the I/O housing.
Golden Ring effect.

The motherboard’s 4 DIMM DDR5 memory slots are reinforced with metal armor, supporting a maximum capacity of 128GB and overclocking memory such as XMP/EXPO.

As for the ATX 24-pin slot powered by the motherboard, there are front USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type C and USB 3.2 Gen 1 expansion slots on the left-hand side; the ARGB 3-pin and CPU_FAN expansion pins are on the right-hand side.

DDR5 and ATX 24-pin power supply.

The Intel LGA 1700 pin supports both the 12th and 13th-generation Intel Core processors, and there is a large VRM radiator around the CPU, and the radiator on the left-hand side extends above the I/O case and has the 16 -bit rotates the golden ring, but there is no RGB lighting effect.

LGA 1700, VRM cooler.
The CPU uses a dual 8-pin power supply.

Of the 8 SATA ports on the motherboard, 6 horizontal connectors are located on the right side of the motherboard. In contrast, the other 2 vertical SATA connectors are located on the edge of the motherboard.

SATA.

The motherboard provides expansion slots for the first PCIe 5.0 x16, the second PCIe 4.0 x4, and the third PCIe 3.0 x1, while the first PCIe slot has metal armor to strengthen the slot’s pressure resistance and tear resistance. A graphics card that can hold up to the current brick level.

The edge of the mainboard from the left has a front audio source, FAN, TB, RGB, ARGB, USB, FAN, CLRMOS, SATA, and front panel pins.

In addition, ASRock designs a Post Status Checker (PSC) or Debug LED on the lower edge of the motherboard. Simply put, it uses 4 LEDs to indicate the current boot status of the CPU, DRAM, VGA, and BOOT. If it does not move or keeps restarting, it is basically that there is a problem with that part of the device that prevents it from turning on, making it easier for players to troubleshoot the situation.

PCIe, M.2 heatsink.
Debug LEDs.

The first M.2 heatsink on the motherboard has also changed from the original plane to a multi-layer cut heatsink with only a high height, which can have a better cooling effect with the airflow inside the case.

First M.2 heatsink.

After removing the heat sink, the Hyper M2_1 and Blazing M2_5 on the motherboard adopt a hedging design, so only one of the two slots can be used. As for a reason for this design, I have to ask why Z690 was so hard to think about it. In addition, the left-hand side of the picture below is the Hyper M2_1 using the PCIe 4.0 x4 channel of the CPU, while the Blazing M2_5 on the right-hand side is the PCIe 5.0 x4 channel of the graphics card.

In other words, when Blazing M2_2 installs SSD, the first PCIe 5.0 x16 will switch to x8 mode.

Left Hyper M2_1, Right Blazing M2_5.

Then there are expansion slots such as M2_WiFi, M2_2 (without heat sink), M2_3 and M2_4 in sequence below.

M2_WiFi, M2_2.
M2_3 and M2_4.

The I/O behind the motherboard adopts an integrated backplane, providing HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 DSC internal display output, Wi-Fi antenna mounting holes, and 2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2, 5 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2.5GbE LAN and 3.5mm audio output.

Two of the yellow USBs are ASRock Lightning Gaming Ports. These two USBs use independent channels so that the players’ high-speed keyboards, mice, and other gaming peripherals have independent channels when they are in use, ensuring that the players can play normally.

The rear motherboard I/O.

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC motherboard material / 14 phases 50A, 8 x SATA, 5 x M.2, 2.5GbE

After talking about the functions and beautiful appearance of ASRock Z790 PG SONIC, remove the VRM, M.2 / PCH, and other heatsinks, and look at the components and design details of the motherboard. Here we will disassemble the motherboard. Come to share with you.

The appearance of the motherboard.
The CPU uses 14+1+1 phase 50A Smart Power Stage, and each phase is Vishay SIC654.
The PWM controller is Richtek RT3628AE.
Killer E3100G 2.5GbE LAN chip.
ASM3042 USB 3.2 expansion chip.
Realtek ALC897 Audio Chip.
Two JYS13008MF01 PCIe 5.0 Redrivers provide M.2 channel splitting.
ASM1074 USB 3.0 HUB.
Intel Z790 Chipset.
NUVOTON NCT6796D-E environmental control chip.
Motherboard heatsink and I/O enclosure.

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC ACCESSORIES / SHOP BLAZING M.2 FAN-HEATSINK

Motherboard accessories include the Sonic Boy manual, SATA cable, M.2 screws, Velcro, etc.

Motherboard Accessories.

ASRock launched the optional BLAZING M.2 FAN-HEATSINK for future PCIe 5.0 SSDs, which is compatible with ASRock’s Z790 motherboard. In addition to the high heat sink, a cooling fan is hidden inside, which can replace the SSD, Bringing an active cooling effect.

BLAZING M.2 FAN-HEATSINK.
Its height is about the same as the VRM heatsink but not too high.
There is a cooling fan inside.

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC BIOS function / Sonic paint

Z790 PG SONIC BIOS is, of course, replaced with a blue Sonic paint, and in the simple mode, you can view CPU, RAM, storage, fan, and other information and adjust the boot sequence.

In the advanced OC Tweaker, individual settings can be made for CPU, DRAM, voltage, FVIR, etc. In addition, there is an option for the CPU Cooler Type to be adjusted.

Easy mode.
OC Tweaker.

In the CPU overclocking setting, overclocking settings can be made for P-Core, E-Core clocks, various Intel overclocking technologies, and the setting function of CPU Power Limitation. By default, the power consumption limit is enabled. To unlock the power consumption limit In addition to good cooling of the CPU, it is also necessary to ensure that the case has sufficient airflow to dissipate heat from the VRM.

CPU overclocking settings.
Intel Overclocking Technology.
CPU Power Limitation.

Memory overclocking includes complete parameter setting and XMP function. There are also functions, such as load correction in the overclocking voltage setting, that can be adjusted.

Memory overclocking.
Overclocking Voltage.
FIVR settings.

You can adjust the P-Core, E-Core, and processor-related settings in the CPU setting. In the chipset setting, the CAM function is enabled by default; if you want to enable the internal display output, you can enable the iGPU Multi-Monitor option.

CAM function.
iGPU Multi-Monitor.
ASRock Polychrome RGB settings.
Hardware Monitoring.
Fan settings.
Boot settings.

PolyChrome RGB / A-Tuning / Nahimic sound

ASRock new boards also start to provide Auto Driver Installer gadgets. When the system is installed for the first time, it will automatically ask whether to install this program, the software will automatically list the driver information and perform online installation, and After the installation is complete, the Auto Driver Installer applet will be removed by itself, giving the player a relatively clean new system.

Auto Driver Installer.

PolyChrome RGB is also replaced with Sonic Boy’s paint, allowing players to adjust the motherboard’s lights through software and synchronize the lighting effects with supported devices.

PolyChrome RGB Sonic Edition.
Motherboard lighting effect.
Motherboard lighting effects.

The A-Tuning software also has a Sonic Boy painting, allowing players to directly adjust the operating mode of the computer, as well as software OC Tweaker overclocking, Fan-Tastic Tuning fan speed adjustment and other functions.

A-Tuning.
OC Tweaker.

Nahimic sound effects can be enhanced by software, and it has various microphones and sound-tracking functions that can be adjusted by yourself.

Nahimic.

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC motherboard performance test

In terms of performance testing, several common sets of CPU rendering, computer performance testing and game performance are used for testing. The processor uses Intel Core i9-13900K, CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 32GBx2 5200MHz and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The main board is set to AUTO, the XMP function is turned on, the power consumption limit is turned off, and the radiator uses 3600mm AIO water cooling. The following scores are provided for your reference.

Test Platform
Processor: Intel Core i9-13900K
Motherboard: ASRock Z790 PG SONIC
Memory: CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 32GBx2 5200MHz
Display Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
System Disk: Solidigm P41 Plus 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Radiator: 360mm AIO Water Cooling Radiator
Power Supply: Seasonic PRIME PX-1000
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 22H2

CPU-Z View Intel Core i9-13900K processor information, code-named Raptor Lake Intel 7 10nm process 8+16 core 32 thread processor, tested with ASRock Z790 PG SONIC motherboard, BIOS has been updated to 3.07, memory is dual-channel DDR5 32GBx2 5200MHz.

CPU-Z.

CINEBENCH R20 and R23 are developed by MAXON based on Cinema 4D and can be used to evaluate the 3D graphics performance of computer processors. It is also a common test software used to evaluate CPU computing performance.

The i9-13900K can achieve a CPU score of 15542 pts in the R20 version test, and the R23 version also has a CPU score of 40724 pts; the single-core performance has a performance of 870 pts and 2266 pts, respectively.

CINEBENCH R20.

AIDA64 memory and cache test uses CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 32GBx2 5200MHz, with Z790 PG SONIC, the memory reads 82367 MB/s, writes 77470 MB/s, copies 79770 MB/s, and delays 76.2 ns Performance.

AIDA64 memory.

The cross-platform computer performance testing tool CrossMark is a free tool developed by BAPCo. It supports platforms such as Windows, iOS/iPadOS, macOS, and Android. It is aimed at computer productivity, such as text editing, spreadsheets, web browsing, Creative photo editing, organizing, and video editing, etc., plus computer response speed for testing.

The i9-13900K achieved a total score of 2604 points, 2381 points for Productivity, 2896 points for Creativity, and 2478 points for Responsiveness.

CrossMark.

The overall computer performance test is conducted with PCMark 10 Express, which can be used to score the Essentials basic computer tasks, such as App startup speed, video conferencing, and web browsing performance. In contrast, the Productivity productivity test uses spreadsheets and paperwork as test items.

The i9-13900K with RTX 4090 scored 7701 points, the computer benchmark performance Essentials has 12437 points, and the productivity has 13030 points; the recorded data shows that the CPU clock rate reached up to 5.8GHz during the test.

PCMark 10 Express.

3DMark CPU Profile is a test designed for processors. It mainly tests the CPU’s physical operations and custom simulation. Therefore, there will be different execution thread tests, because the number of execution threads used by different applications and games is different.

For example, under the Max threads test, the maximum performance of the CPU can be displayed, but this does not mean that games can also play the same performance, but movie-level rendering, simulation or scientific analysis applications will use the performance of the full execution thread; the same reason 16 threads also have better performance for computing and digital content creation, and have little impact on games.

The i9-13900K Max threads can reach a score of 16691 points, which meets the needs of movie-level rendering, simulation or scientific analysis applications, while the main force of the game is 8 threads 8812 points and 4 threads 4676 points.

3DMark CPU Profile.

The 3DMark Fire Strike test uses the RTX 4090 graphics card, and its CPU physics score has 53456 points; for the Time Spy test designed for DirectX 12, the CPU scored 19002 points.

3DMark Fire Strike.
3DMark Time Spy.

Summary

ASRock Z790 PG SONIC’s exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog paint evokes the childhood memories of DIY players and unlocks the power consumption limit to let the i9-13900K play the default Turbo performance, with 14-phase 50A SPS power supply, dual CPU 8-pin power supply and VRM cooler ensure stable CPU power supply and give gamers excellent computer/game performance.

The same specifications can also meet the installation needs of high-end gamers, including the expansion of PCIe 5.0 graphics card and SSD, as well as novel specifications such as 8 SATA, 5 M.2, 2.5GbE, and USB 20Gbps; for gamers who love Sonic Boy, you can consider it With a white case and blue RGB lighting effect, a gaming console with a Sonic style is assembled.

It’s just that the new Z790 PG SONIC has a higher price of $10,150 TWD, but there are limited 20 sets of free 360mm AIO water-cooling activities in the original price house event. Players who love Sonic Boys should hold on to this limited offer; as for those with limited budgets, Players can also use the previous generation Z690 and B660 motherboards to get better cost performance.

If this article is helpful for you, please share this article with your friends on social media. Thank you!!

This article is based on the personality of the reviews. You are responsible for fact-checking if the contents are not facts or accurate.

Title: Sonic Boys joint name! ASRock Z790 PG SONIC unboxing test / I have a 16-bit rotating gold ring

en_GBEnglish